If you read the title, you know that I like the original Rudolph by Rankin-Bass better for the most part and don't find Rudolph the Movie by Good Times Entertainment as good, but the latter is sweet, charming, simple, and far from being one of the worst Christmas movies or movies in general, and it fixes some of the problems I have with the former. Some think this is a remake of the Rankin-Bass Rudolph, and I've heard complaints about it not living up to the original, but I think it's supposed to be its own thing and not a remake of the original because it has different characters, different songs, an almost entirely different plot, and it bears little to no resemblance to the original. Like the original, it has a strong, positive message about embracing your differences, accepting others for who they are, and not judging a book by its cover. Rudolph the Movie lacks the lifelike stop motion animation style that the RB version has, but the animation and art style here look very similar to old Disney movies and a few other cartoons I grew up with, which makes me like this even more!
The characters are likable for the most part. Unlike Arrow, Rudolph has character and true heart! I find him sympathetic, and I can't argue that his nose makes him unique! I know what it's like to be bullied. Unlike the original, Rudolph has barely stuck up for himself here, and thankfully it is explained why his nose glows (though I don't have a problem with no explanation in the former): the 4 sprites who narrate the story and have been watching him ever since he was born knew he was special, and they wanted him to literally shine. I must say that the sprites are annoying because their narration consists entirely of singing, which is repetitive. This is a movie, not a Broadway musical or an opera. Sam the snowman is a better narrator than them! I've heard criticisms about Santa Claus being a jerk and not so Santa-like in the original, and I'd have to agree. I like his portrayal here better! Unlike the RB Santa, he accepts Rudolph for who he is right away, and he's the jolly, fatherly, and giving old man that Santa usually is! I used to be scared of the Abominable Snowman aka the Bumble, and he may be too scary for younger or sensitive audiences, but I don't think I was ever scared of Stormella. The latter has more personality than the former, and I got to admit that she has an awesome voice performance by Whoopi Goldberg. I like Clarice, but I like Zoey better because she has more screentime and more personality. She has stood up to those who have given Rudolph a hard time, and she briefly tells Rudolph that he means everything to her and wishes she would've said so sooner because it was unlikely he would've run away in the first place. I don't understand why she dated Arrow in the first place, but thankfully she later breaks up with him and starts exclusively dating Rudolph. Arrow somewhat reminds me of Fireball, and I agree with Zoey: he's a huge jerk. Slyly and Leonard are interesting characters, but they don't have as good chemistry with Rudolph as Hermey and Yukon Cornelius do.
The songs are good, but not as catchy or as memorable as the songs from the original. Slyly's song, "It Could Always Be Worse," has an inspiring message saying things aren't always as bad as they may seem and could always be worse, hence the title. "What About Rudolph's Nose?" is a good song, but not the best. Rudolph's parents sing about how handsome they find their son's nose, which I like because they're being accepting him for who he is, they don't hate his nose like Rudolph's dad does at first in the original, and they're being good parents! Towards the end of the song, Rudolph's dad says maybe the kids from school will make fun of his nose when he gets older, and Rudolph's mother says maybe they'll ignore him or learn to adore him. Who knows whether or not kids will be bullied when they start school, and it's best to ignore those you don't have anything nice to say to. The other reindeer and elves, who sing backup, have negative comments about Rudolph's nose, but they sound way too happy and upbeat, as if they are faking and secretly love his brightly colored schnoz. My favorite song from the movie might have to be Rudolph and Zoey's duet, "Show Me the Light," because it's an incredibly beautiful love song, and it reflects on the relationship between the two of them! However, Rudolph's singing voice sounds nothing like his speaking voice, and he sounds like he has gone through puberty when he sings. To be fair, my singing voice sounds nothing like my speaking voice either; I usually sing in an opera voice, whether or not I'm singing an opera song, because it's more fun to sing in, and I'm not as good at singing in my natural voice. And of course, who can resist classics like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Wonderful Christmastime? The only song I don't like is Stormella's song, "I Hate Santa Claus," and the sprites' narration too if that counts.
There is a reason I give this a 7/10, other than the ones I mentioned above (not being as memorable as the RB version, the backup vocals in the first song sounding too happy and upbeat for the lyrics to be considered insults, the sprites being annoying): Stormella's redemption arc magically comes out of nowhere. There is a witchcraft law about Stormella having to grant a wish, and Rudolph wishes for her to change from bad to good. I don't understand why Stormella didn't redeem herself the minute Rudolph saved her from falling off a cliff. The former could've reformed on her own right away, or the latter could've told her, "We'll go home right now if you promise to be nice from now on."
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer the Movie is an underrated movie and a nostalgic piece of my childhood! You should check it out if you haven't seen it before. If you don't like the original Rudolph, there's a chance you might like this better because it lacks the mean-spiritedness some have complained about, it has a more optimistic and upbeat tone, and most of the characters are friendlier than some of the RB characters, though some have misinterpreted the RB version's message, after all both versions are allegories about the trouble with discrimination.
The characters are likable for the most part. Unlike Arrow, Rudolph has character and true heart! I find him sympathetic, and I can't argue that his nose makes him unique! I know what it's like to be bullied. Unlike the original, Rudolph has barely stuck up for himself here, and thankfully it is explained why his nose glows (though I don't have a problem with no explanation in the former): the 4 sprites who narrate the story and have been watching him ever since he was born knew he was special, and they wanted him to literally shine. I must say that the sprites are annoying because their narration consists entirely of singing, which is repetitive. This is a movie, not a Broadway musical or an opera. Sam the snowman is a better narrator than them! I've heard criticisms about Santa Claus being a jerk and not so Santa-like in the original, and I'd have to agree. I like his portrayal here better! Unlike the RB Santa, he accepts Rudolph for who he is right away, and he's the jolly, fatherly, and giving old man that Santa usually is! I used to be scared of the Abominable Snowman aka the Bumble, and he may be too scary for younger or sensitive audiences, but I don't think I was ever scared of Stormella. The latter has more personality than the former, and I got to admit that she has an awesome voice performance by Whoopi Goldberg. I like Clarice, but I like Zoey better because she has more screentime and more personality. She has stood up to those who have given Rudolph a hard time, and she briefly tells Rudolph that he means everything to her and wishes she would've said so sooner because it was unlikely he would've run away in the first place. I don't understand why she dated Arrow in the first place, but thankfully she later breaks up with him and starts exclusively dating Rudolph. Arrow somewhat reminds me of Fireball, and I agree with Zoey: he's a huge jerk. Slyly and Leonard are interesting characters, but they don't have as good chemistry with Rudolph as Hermey and Yukon Cornelius do.
The songs are good, but not as catchy or as memorable as the songs from the original. Slyly's song, "It Could Always Be Worse," has an inspiring message saying things aren't always as bad as they may seem and could always be worse, hence the title. "What About Rudolph's Nose?" is a good song, but not the best. Rudolph's parents sing about how handsome they find their son's nose, which I like because they're being accepting him for who he is, they don't hate his nose like Rudolph's dad does at first in the original, and they're being good parents! Towards the end of the song, Rudolph's dad says maybe the kids from school will make fun of his nose when he gets older, and Rudolph's mother says maybe they'll ignore him or learn to adore him. Who knows whether or not kids will be bullied when they start school, and it's best to ignore those you don't have anything nice to say to. The other reindeer and elves, who sing backup, have negative comments about Rudolph's nose, but they sound way too happy and upbeat, as if they are faking and secretly love his brightly colored schnoz. My favorite song from the movie might have to be Rudolph and Zoey's duet, "Show Me the Light," because it's an incredibly beautiful love song, and it reflects on the relationship between the two of them! However, Rudolph's singing voice sounds nothing like his speaking voice, and he sounds like he has gone through puberty when he sings. To be fair, my singing voice sounds nothing like my speaking voice either; I usually sing in an opera voice, whether or not I'm singing an opera song, because it's more fun to sing in, and I'm not as good at singing in my natural voice. And of course, who can resist classics like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Wonderful Christmastime? The only song I don't like is Stormella's song, "I Hate Santa Claus," and the sprites' narration too if that counts.
There is a reason I give this a 7/10, other than the ones I mentioned above (not being as memorable as the RB version, the backup vocals in the first song sounding too happy and upbeat for the lyrics to be considered insults, the sprites being annoying): Stormella's redemption arc magically comes out of nowhere. There is a witchcraft law about Stormella having to grant a wish, and Rudolph wishes for her to change from bad to good. I don't understand why Stormella didn't redeem herself the minute Rudolph saved her from falling off a cliff. The former could've reformed on her own right away, or the latter could've told her, "We'll go home right now if you promise to be nice from now on."
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer the Movie is an underrated movie and a nostalgic piece of my childhood! You should check it out if you haven't seen it before. If you don't like the original Rudolph, there's a chance you might like this better because it lacks the mean-spiritedness some have complained about, it has a more optimistic and upbeat tone, and most of the characters are friendlier than some of the RB characters, though some have misinterpreted the RB version's message, after all both versions are allegories about the trouble with discrimination.